Chennai: Man fakes suicide attempt to get seized bike from cops

CHENNAI: In a bid to escape the authorities, a 29-year-old man apprehended for drunk driving, attacked traffic police on duty when he was asked to produce his driving licence during a routine vehicle check on Tuesday Night in Kilpauk.

The man allegedly attempted to commit suicide and was admitted in hospital after the fake attempt, sources said.

According to investigators, the man identified as auto driver Komath (29), a resident of Kovilpathagai in Avadi, is undergoing treatment at the Kilpauk government college and hospital after he allegedly drank poison. On Tuesday night, when Komath was heading towards his house from Parry's corner, a team of Kilpauk traffic investigation wing police headed by Sub Inspector Ramaswamy intercepted him on the  Konnur highway and asked him to blow into a breath analyser.

The reading confirmed he was heavily drunk, said the investigating officer. When the police asked him to produce his driving licence, Komath forcefully took the breath analyser from the traffic cop and threw the device to the ground, following which the police seized his two-wheeler and asked him to recover his bike from the station on Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, Komath was admitted to the Kilpauk medical college and hospital by his friends after he was reported to have consumed poison. The doctors who examined the man confirmed that the man did not take in any poisonous substance but he had just sprinkled poison on his body to threaten the police to get his two-wheeler back.

Based on a complaint by the SI, Kilpauk traffic investigation wing police registered a case and took the man under custody. Further investigations are underway.

Earlier in August, in order to threaten the traffic police, a Chennai man had jumped from the Thiru Vi Ka bridge in Adyar when the police asked him to produce his licence.

The incident took a tragic turn when the man accidentally drowned to death.